Prime Minister Tony Abbott has updated his pecuniary interest register, listing gifts and hospitality for his wife and daughters, including a lace dress and an invitation to the opening night of the 2014 Melbourne fashion festival.

Mr Abbott has defended the awarding of the scholarship for Ms Abbott to study at the design college, which is chaired by his friend and Liberal Party donor Les Taylor, saying it was awarded to his daughter on merit.

The college has said the scholarship was awarded directly by Whitehouse founder Leanne Whitehouse.

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Members of the House of Representatives are required to declare gifts to themselves, their spouses and dependent children when they are worth more than $300 and come from non-official sources.

But the guidelines say gifts from family members or personal friends "need not be registered unless the member judges that an appearance of conflict of interest may be seen to exist".

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A spokeswoman for Mr Abbott defended the decision last week, saying in a statement: "Under the Statement of Registrable Interests, a scholarship is not a gift, it is an award based on merit and disclosure is not required."